Written by Bob Siegel and originally published by Communities Digital News
NOTE: Because my column from Monday was about Donald Trump who changes the headlines every day, this is already a dated article. However, here it is as it appeared on CDN May 23. I have been very critical of Trump. Rostra readers have but to look at previous posts of mine to see this and far more can be seen from articles and radio shows easily accessed from my Website. However, he now has the nomination. In my previous post on Rostra I explained my cautious support. I will not explain it again here. Right now, I am making a new point. The advice offered to Trump in the last quarter of the article is SATIRE. How sad to have to point that out but we live in testy, heated days where people sometimes react without actually looking at what is being said or thinking about it. A little humor might help those with good intentions to not take themselves too seriously.
SAN DIEGO, May 23, 2016 — Conservatives have been heartened to see an impressive list of trusted names endorsing or interacting with Donald Trump. The list is long; it includes Rudy Giuliani, Ben Carson, Newt Gingrich, Chris Christi, Rick Perry, Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, Jeff Sessions and a whole host of esteemed, retired military generals.
Should Trump win the election and keep such leaders in close proximity—possibly placing some on his cabinet—he would be gathering a rich resource of wise, qualified counselors.
Trump is a loose cannon who speaks without a filter. That’s why the ability to take counsel will be so important for his potential presidency.
However, while “President Trump” would be foolish to ignore advice, candidate Trump should continue to ignore it. He should pay no attention to anyone who tells him to “tone down the rhetoric.” Many of the experts who are telling him that also predicted that he wouldn’t last a month in the primaries.
Trump has already proven that he knows how to take on an opponent. Certainly, many of his methods were unorthodox, and insults hurled at fellow GOP candidates were often unfair and untrue.
But in a campaign against Hillary Clinton, he wouldn’t need to make anything up. The facts are insulting enough in their own right.
The moment Clinton brags about the importance of experience, Trump can call up her stellar record as secretary of state. Topics like Benghazi and her email server do not have to be spun to be damaging, and it would be hard to make up anything as bad if you wanted to.
The only advice Trump should listen to right now is the advice to RAISE the rhetoric rather than to water it down.
He’ll need to use all his ammunition when Clinton looses her salvos in the fabricated “war on women” that Republicans are accused of waging every single election year.
The sparring has already begun.
“I think the only card she has is the women’s card,” Trump has said on more than one occasion.
To which Clinton replied: “The other day, Mr. Trump accused me, of playing the, quote, ‘woman card.’ Well, if fighting for women’s health care and paid family leave and equal pay is playing the woman card, then deal me in.”
Since then, Trump has skillfully reminded Clinton of her husband’s confirmed affairs and accusations of rape by Juanita Broderick. He has also reminded her how she not only stood by her husband in the face of surfacing reports, but launched scorched-earth campaigns against his accusers.
His would-be advisers in the chattering class would have warned Trump not to push back so hard. But when unleashed, Trump showcases that rarest of qualities among Republican candidates: a fire in the belly to win.
The only advice Donald Trump needs right now is, “Do not back down!”
In that vein, I’d like to stuff this in his suggestion box:
Dear Mr. Trump,
You will soon discover that fighting the Clintons is not as easy as taking out Jeb or Marco. The Clintons are true masters of the art of personal destruction. They do it with the ruthless efficiency of a well-oiled machine.
You can never make them stop. No matter how hard you fight back; no matter how many women come forward to say the New York Times misquoted them; no matter how often your wife, daughter, former female employees, and former Miss Universe contestants stand up to defend you, Hillary Clinton will continue to paint you as a sexist misogynist.
So try this: The next time Hillary calls you “anti-woman,” tell the world that in your heart of hearts, you feel that you are a woman!
With the latest interference by the Obama administration about public schools accommodating transgender students, and with Hillary putting her finger to the wind, embracing every new piece of political correctness, she won’t be able to say a word.
Clinton spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa recently told the Washington Post, “Hillary Clinton applauds the Obama administration for taking actions this week to stand up for the rights of LGBT people—and particularly for the rights of transgender people—across the country … As president, she will fight to make sure all Americans can live their lives free from discrimination.”
Clinton might still think herself out of this trap. She might suggest that you are only making up your inner gender. She might point out that a man who thinks he’s a woman would never pursue and marry a beautiful bride like Melania.
Then, sir, you can return with your zinger: “Mrs. Clinton, when I say that I’m a woman inside, I mean that I’m a lesbian woman.”
This is Bob Siegel, making the obvious, obvious.
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Bob Siegel is a weekend radio talk show host on KCBQ and a columnist. Details of his show can be found at www.bobsiegel.net
Comments 11
If this is what’s become of the Republican party, I’ll be looking for another affiliation.
Off the top, I’ll admit–I’m a Democrat. Not a “feel the Bern” Democrat, but rather, the kind of Democrat that would have crossed party lines to vote for centrist John McCain in 2000, but not the McCain Palin ticket of 2008.
With legal disclaimers out of the way, I’ve become a fan of Donald Trump. Don’t misunderstand–I won’t vote for him, but I’m a fan.
Why?
In a nutshell: the more success Donald Trump has, the more long-term damage is done to the Republican Party.
He’s already got the nomination locked, so at minimum the Republican Party has lost the “higher than thou” moral high ground for a generation. It’s pretty clear as the nominee, Trump isn’t just a populist revolutionary opposed by the sober leaders of the party. The “sober” leaders have decided to drink heavily, and the hangover will be awesome (for me, anyway).
All voters are basically the targets of Trump University right now. Full of hope. Hearing the things we want to hear. Picturing the rosy future painted by a master illusionist.
But I’m an optimist; so I win either way.
If Trump loses, I’m happy.
If Trump wins, I trust in the checks and balances established by our founders. I have no doubt that President Trump would be limited and contained by the wise limits imposed by wise people long ago.
However, I’m not so optimistic for your Republican Party.
If Donald Trump wins this election, the “Party of Lincoln” will be replaced by the “Party of Trump” for the foreseeable future, and that’s also a great outcome.
Bottomline: the deeper Trump goes under the Republican banner, the more long-term damage he does to the party.
And for that reason, you can consider me a Donald Trump fan, even though I will never vote for him.
Encinitas Dad,
As has been pointed out here many times, I too am a Democrat. However, I would never root for the demise of the Republican Party. A strong Republican Party and an equally strong Democratic Party are good for our country. Competition and a constant battle of ideas are essential if we are to remain the greatest country in the history of the world. I may be a Democrat, but first and foremost, I am an American and neither the Republican Party nor its members are my enemy.
Well said, Hypocrisy.
HQ,
There is nothing sacrosanct about the current incarnation of the Republican Party. I agree that two strong parties with a competition of ideas is healthy. But like the Whigs and Know Nothings, the current party can and should be blown up and rebooted in some other form.
Also, this Memorial Day weekend, let’s all take the time to reflect quietly on the sacrifices made by our armed forces. Even if you prefer the ones who didn’t get captured or killed.
Encinitas,
I am with you 100% on your Memorial Day comment, but not so much on your previous one. The Party of McCain, Romney and Ryan certainly have many ideas worth debating. I am hopeful that “The Donald” is an anomaly created by an overcrowded field of qualified candidates (and some admittedly not so qualified) that split the “sane” vote until it was too late.
I wanted to post this as a headline but Rostra wouldn’t let me. So I will place it here.
My complete experience at the Trump Rally.
I went there with the intent to get signatures to put the stadium/convention center on the ballot. I was unable to do it because security was so tight. I like Kasich but I will vote for Trump. We were given veterans for Trump signs. I did not like holding that sign because I am not a veteran. It felt disingenuous. If you were going to make it a veterans rally. provide chairs for our honored vets. It was standing room only and like many shorter people, my girlfriend was unable to see. Sarah Palin was a great surprise. She can really speak. When Trump came on stage I was a little psyched. The energy was flowing. I expected props to Duncan D. Hunter. It was a stump speech that wasn’t very exciting. It is clear that he wants the Bernie voters who hate the system. But he spent most of his time badmouthing the media and defending Trump University. BORING.
Then we went outside where the “riots” took place. My girlfriend and I went to Tin Fish to eat while things were getting hectic. It was so clear to me that the agitators were organized. They wore masks and had “f-ck Trump” signs printed out and there were other agitators dressed with Trump shirts waving confederate flags and holding signs for the media to see that said “God hates Hillary voters”
I got involved a little bit. Since I was wearing a Philip Rivers jersey. I screamed “Chargers!!!!,” “Bolts lives matter” and walked both sides of the isle. Showing my Trump hat to leftist Charger fans and high fiving them along the way. Everybody, Trump supporters, liberals and the cops seemed to like what I was doing. I guess it was my feeble attempt to show everybody there are more important things than politics. Football unites us all.
At least I thought that until it was declared an unlawful demonstration, and it got serious and we were asked to leave Tin Fish. My girlfriend became upset. We walked around to Tilted Kilt and I felt a cold rage towards the leftist agitators that I still feel several hours and still to this moment. For all their preaching about ending hate. Man do these folks know how to incite hate.
Okay, I’ll tone it down a bit and offer a more wonkish view of what’s going on with the Republican Party and Trump.
Basically, the infamous autopsy of the last election was very smart about the demographic headwinds faced by the party. Without changes to broaden the base, the party is on a slow road to obscurity.
More smart stuff on those trends here: http://cookpolitical.com/story/9637
So the long term prospects are not good, so the autopsy proposed changes to better position the party for the future, which is pretty obvious, if not popular with the current base. But there was another option, and Trump is it. Ignore the long term; burn all bridges to demographic groups that are growing; and throw read meat by the ton to excite the old base to elevate turnout in the short term. Basically, it’s that last party in Animal House when the fraternity already knows they have no future. That’s an entirely different kind of party, because the normal rules do not apply. Any restraint necessary to preserve a future has gone out the window, because this is understood to be the last party. The party to end all parties.
In this case, it’s the party to end the Republican Party.
In my estimation, the point of no return has already been passed. The deliberate shrinking of the tent has ostracized major voting blocs for a generation, so you may as well enjoy the party and not think about tomorrow.
Don’t get me wrong; this could work. Trump could win. But at what cost? Project those demographic trends forward a decade or two, and ask yourself if a Trump-type candidate could win then.
On second thought, best not to think about that tonight. Drink up, frat boys. Drink up.
Encinitas Dad,
One of the disillusioning things (to me) about Trump’s “red meat appeal” to the base, is that it’s do devoid of traditional conservative substance.
It’s as if all the past lip-service paid to substantial issues was just that: lip-service.
Again, very disillusioning.
Author
A response to some of the points made by readers will be given over the air on my radio show this weekend, Sunday, June 5. Readers are always welcome to call in and “respond to my response.”
The Bob Siegel Show
KCBQ 1170 AM on the dial
6:00-7:00 PM Pacific Time
Call in toll free number: 1-888-344-1170